Robert Nivelle | |
|---|---|
 General Nivelle c. 1917 | |
| 24th Chief of the Army Staff | |
| In office 14 December 1916 – 30 April 1917 | |
| Preceded by | Joseph Joffre |
| Succeeded by | Philippe Pétain |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 15 October 1856 Tulle, French Empire |
| Died | 22 March 1924 (aged 67) Paris, French Republic |
| Nationality | French |
| Alma mater | École Polytechnique |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Third Republic |
| Branch/service | French Army |
| Years of service | 1878 – 1921 |
| Rank | Division general |
| Commands | List
|
| Battles/wars | |
Robert Georges Nivelle[a] (15 October 1856[1] – 22 March 1924[2]) was a French artillery general officer who served in the Boxer Rebellion and the First World War. In May 1916, he succeeded Philippe Pétain as commander of the French Second Army in the Battle of Verdun, leading counter-offensives that rolled back the German forces in late 1916.[3] During these actions he and General Charles Mangin were accused of wasting French lives.[4] He gives his name to the Nivelle Offensive.
Following the successes at Verdun, Nivelle was promoted to commander-in-chief of the French armies on the Western Front in December 1916, largely because of his persuasiveness with French and British political leaders, aided by his fluency in English. He was responsible for the Nivelle Offensive at the Chemin des Dames, which had aroused skepticism already in its planning stages. When the costly offensive failed to achieve a breakthrough on the Western Front, a major mutiny occurred, affecting roughly half the French Army, which conducted no further major offensive action for several months. Nivelle was replaced as commander-in-chief by Philippe Pétain in May 15, 1917.
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- ^ Government of the French Republic. "Birth certificate of Nivelle, Robert Georges". culture.gouv.fr (in French). Retrieved 13 April 2020.
- ^ Government of the French Republic. "Death certificate of Nivelle, Robert Georges". culture.gouv.fr (in French). Retrieved 13 April 2020.
- ^ "General Robert Nivelle". Current History. 5 (4): 613–614. 1917. ISSN 2641-080X. JSTOR 45328145.
- ^ "The Nivelle Offensive started". www.cheshireroll.co.uk. Retrieved 17 April 2023.